Published 4:00 am, Thursday, March 14, 2002

"We haven't heard from him in a long time," Bush told reporters at the White House. "I truly am not that concerned about him."

During a hastily called news conference that was dominated by questions about war and terror, Bush also refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons against nations like Libya and Syria if it would destroy their ability to produce weapons of mass destruction.

"We've got all options on the table," Bush said when asked about last week's disclosure that the Pentagon is pursuing a more aggressive nuclear strategy that could target rogue nations that do not themselves possess nuclear weapons.

"We want to make it very clear to nations that you will not threaten the United States or use weapons of mass destruction against us or our allies or friends," he said.

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Many view the Pentagon policy as a departure from a decades-old Cold War strategy of stockpiling nuclear weapons to deter a nuclear attack from other nuclear powers such as the Soviet Union.

"The reason we have a nuclear arsenal that I hope is modern, upgraded and can work is to deter any attack on America," Bush said, insisting that he is merely continuing a policy established under previous presidents.

At the same time, Bush said he is "committed to reducing the amount of nuclear weaponry and reducing the number of nuclear warheads" and hopes to sign such an agreement when he visits Russia in May.

Bush's dismissive comments on bin Laden stand in stark contrast to his declaration in the first days after the Sept. 11 that he wanted the al Qaeda leader "dead or alive."

BIN LADEN 'MARGINALIZED'

Yesterday, Bush said the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan has effectively "marginalized" bin Laden and "destroyed" his terrorist network.

"I was concerned about him when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban," Bush said. But now, "we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore."

Asked whether the United States, with military advisers being dispatched throughout the world, might get caught in a quagmire reminiscent of Vietnam, Bush said he learned lessons from that war.

"First there must be a clear mission. Secondly, the politics ought to stay out of fighting a war. There was too much politics during the Vietnam War," Bush said.

"I believe this war is more akin to World War II than it is to Vietnam. This is a war in which we fight for the liberties and freedom of our country," he said.

PICKERING NOMINATION

Bush opened the news conference with strong words to Senate Democrats trying to scuttle his nomination of U.S. District Court Judge Charles Pickering to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Pickering has the support of enough Democrats to win confirmation were the matter to reach the Senate floor, but the appointment faces rejection in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Democrats are nearly united in their opposition. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who serves on the committee, has said she will vote against Pickering.

"We now face a situation in which a handful of United States senators on one committee have made it clear that they will block nominees, even highly qualified, well-respected nominees, who do not share the senators' views of the bench," Bush said.

The president complained that of the 92 judicial appointments he has made, only 40 have made it to the Senate floor for a vote.

"This is unacceptable. It is a bad record for the Senate," Bush said.

But foreign affairs, not domestic politics, dominated the news conference.

-- On the violence in the Middle East: Bush made his strongest criticism of Israel's military offensive against Palestinians, led by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"Frankly, it is not helpful what the Israelis have recently done," Bush said. "I understand somebody trying to defend themselves . . . but the recent actions are not helpful."

-- On Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein: "This is a nation run by a man who is willing to kill his own people by using chemical weapons; a man who won't let inspectors into the country; a man who's obviously got something to hide," said Bush. "He is a problem, and we're going to deal with him. But the first stage is to consult with our allies and friends, and that's exactly what we're doing."

-- On the belated notice that the Immigration and Naturalization Service had approved student visas for two of the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center, the president said he could "barely get my coffee down" when he read about it in "my local paper."

"I was stunned and not happy. . . . I was plenty hot."

-- On the military's capability to fight the war against terrorism: "People shouldn't worry about a draft," Bush said. "We've got ample manpower to meet our needs" and "a vast coalition of nations willing to lend their own manpower to the war."

"The mission's clear. The training is good. The equipment is going to be robust," the president said.

Bush appeared stiff at the outset of the 45-minute news conference at the White House briefing room. Though he frequently answers questions from reporters following White House events, or when meeting with foreign dignitaries, it was the first formal press conference since last October. Bush loosened up as it progressed, chiding reporters for asking multipart questions and noting that Gen. Tommy Franks, who is overseeing the military action in Southern Asia, graduated from the same high school as his wife.

"That's an interesting thing for the social columns -- for those of you who allow your news-gathering to slip into social items," he laughed.

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